Redemption
by Ree923
Summary: Repost of how Ten/Rose find their way back to each other after the Journey's End. Rose has lost the duplicate Doctor but he's closer than she'd thought. So is the way back to her destiny. Will have Donna, Jackie, Pete, and Mickey too. This was my very first fanfic and I am aware it sucks, LOL - but I decided to repost anyway.
1. Chapter 1

The icy December wind hit him as he left the Tardis, but he didn't feel it. Didn't feel anything, really. Rose was gone, Donna was gone, and he was back to being who he believed he had to be — the last of the Time Lords, on his own in every way possible. As he walked through the dark London streets, he refused to hear the music that always seemed to come into his mind when he wasn't paying attention.

Another life, another body and he was dancing with Rose. He willed himself to stop thinking about it and hurriedly walked toward his destination. But the dream would not leave. He saw her flying off into her father's arms and disappearing. He saw himself trying to tell her he loved her. If he allowed the thought to continue, he could see her return to him, running so fast to be with him again, he could almost believe in fate. He remembered the way she looked at him brighter than the star he had destroyed to say goodbye. Then he remembered seeing the light go out of her eyes, replaced by an immense sadness and confusion that made him hurt worse than their first separation.

He saw her kiss someone that looked like him, but wasn't him in the way that mattered. But she was the only one who could save the other Doctor. And he could survive with the knowledge that he gave himself to her the only way he could.  
He tried not to think about the night he got so ill that he thought he saw her in his room. He didn't think he could get sick, but he did, and he told her he loved her. He told her how sorry he was for leaving her. But she looked at him like she didn't understand his words and looked away. After that night, he never had the dream again.

He looked up at the sky then and noticed the snow that wasn't really snow. Was it snowing where she was? Sighing, he saw it, her old home - she had always felt it was his home too, as much as they visited Jackie.

He went inside the flat, knowing that Jackie had left to visit relatives that night he and Rose returned to the Tardis. He looked around and could almost imagine her bouncing out of her room to give him a hug. He went there now and found what he had been looking for: a locket he had given her with a smiling photo of the two of them. It was all he would have of her now. She had accidentally left it behind that Christmas and every time they came back somehow it seemed they had other things more urgent, and she'd laugh halfway to wherever they were headed afterwards about how he'd find it long after she was just a memory and remember how scatterbrained she was. Holding back a tear, all he remembered was that she was gone forever, and he had to move on without her. Straightening, he headed for Torchwood, a place he hated to see, but knowing he had to go help once again.

dwdw

Rose couldn't remember when it started. His headaches, the confusion about who he was. She did her best to take care of him, but all his dreams were about Daleks and revenge. She did her best to love him, but he was like a ghost really, and never could be how she wanted him to be. Over the next year, their friendship grew but they both knew they were not in love. He had only been echoing what the true Doctor had been feeling that day on the beach. He had told her he loved her, but they weren't his feelings really. He didn't have any original feelings. He told her that he felt like a robot, detached and alone.

One night, as the fevers took their toll, he told her that he loved her and how sorry he was to have left her behind. She was puzzled and knew she had to get him help. Leaving the room, she sobbed over what could have been with this Doctor, and then over the man she wished she could have back in her life. She was alone, confused, and sadder than she thought possible. He was gone and she would have to go on without him.

The next day, she had led him into Torchwood. She wasn't sure she was doing the right thing. But she couldn't do it alone anymore. And that was the last she ever saw of him. Someone there told her he had died during the night and she had refused to go to the funeral. How many times would she have to lose him?

Jack wasn't sure he was happy to see the Doctor. His friend seemed more distant than usual and if Time Lords got cranky, that described him completely. Jack watched as a very detached Doctor explained the protocols to get their joint project working. It had been Jack's idea, really. If his new team was going to learn how to control their time travels more in line without messing with history, they should be trained the way Time Lords and Ladies were taught. And who better to do that than his moody, disconnected friend? He followed him around, trying to determine what moodiness meant. His few attempts at humor had gone largely ignored, which was normal, but this seemed different somehow.

Jack wondered if this was making the Doctor think about his mysterious childhood. Or maybe it was more personal. Maybe Rose didn't want to travel with him anymore? Where was she, anyway? There was only one way to find out.

"So where is our girl?" Jack asked brightly. The look on the Doctor's face was frozen. Not good, Jack thought.

"She's home." The Doctor went back to working on some settings for the education training videos.

"Great, let's call her up and have dinner — " he broke off the sentence when he saw the Doctor tense.

"Jack. She is home. Other universe, it was the only way to let her be with me, I mean with him. She can watch over him so he doesn't self destruct. She can have a normal life again."

Now it was Jack's turn to grow silent. He stared at the Doctor and words started spilling out of his mouth in a rush. "You did what? You're kidding, right? You wouldn't have stranded her back there away from all of us — not after she tried for years to get back to us — to you!" Jack tried to calm down but it was utterly stupid that this could be happening. "And Donna? Did you leave her behind too?"

"I did what I had to do. That other me committed genocide — I could not allow him to stay here, and I could not leave him alone without someone I trusted to help him. And Donna had to go home, she couldn't handle a Time Lord's brain. She would have died if I hadn't wiped her memory. You have to understand."

"Oh, I understand all right, you couldn't deal with your 'baser nature' and abandoned them all. You made sure it was somewhere you didn't have to be reminded of who you were before Rose helped you, or Donna for that matter, and you threw them away like trash!"

"Rose understands — she does! And Donna knew it was the only way. I refuse to talk about this anymore." The Doctor went to leave the room.

"So basically you killed them both. Rose is trapped again babysitting a walking tape recording of you while you get to pretend she never existed, and Donna loses not only you but herself. Of all the selfish, cruel things I have seen you do, and trust me, I have seen you do more than you know — I never thought you would intentionally hurt people around you. I just thought you were "the Doctor — lonely traveler oblivious to anyone who cared about you as a person and not a Time Lord. But this is insane. Donna saved us all and you wiped her memory? Well, listen, from someone who has had his memory wiped, it is not fun. It is a violation of the soul. Maybe that Dalek was right when it said you turn others into weapons — what it didn't mention is that you turn them on themselves! You didn't deserve their love or their friendship!" Jack was shouting now, getting stares from the newest members of Torchwood, but he didn't care. The pain of losing people who weren't dead — it was too much to bear.

Suddenly the Doctor's arm shot out and he grabbed Jack by the throat. "I may not have deserved it but I loved them both. Donna was the best friend I had and don't ever say another word about Rose. You know I loved her with everything I had in me!"

"You think you were the only one who loved Rose?" Jack spat out, twisting away from his friend. "She came back into my life for 30 seconds and you threw her away again, like you always throw people away. And with a clone! I bet she's with him right now pretending he is you. She's probably making love to him right now, grateful it's NOT you so she can't be abandoned again like garbage!"

The Doctor spun around again and lunged for Jack, making a low growl that scared everyone else in the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Jackie Tyler scrambled some eggs and watched her daughter carefully. Something was not right, she could see that, but with Rose — ah, well, it would out itself in time. She stifled a laugh at that — time. She couldn't even be angry at the Doctor for bringing them back, even if it was to Norway. Her life was here now, and she had hoped Rose would learn to accept this new world too. Rose stared out the window and sighed. It was time to go to work.

"Bye, Mum." She yawned and grabbed her jacket.

"Here now, don't be just running off without giving your mum a hug goodbye now."

Rose smiled and hugged her mother.

As she reached Torchwood, her eyes drifted upward to the section they had taken the other Doctor. Something made her look a little more closely than usual and she saw a familiar face staring back down to her, beckoning. She shook her head fiercely to get the vision out of her mind. It wasn't real — he wasn't real, she could see right through him.

When she looked up again — he was gone.

She entered her passcode into the large gated entrance and the doors swung open.

The Doctor's voice entered her head, "Rose, come quickly, I need you!"

And with that, Rose fainted.

"Jack, just what do you think you are up to anyway?" Martha knew that look on her friend's face and was rightfully worried. He never looked up from the computer, only worked harder at his task. "You can't get into whatever you are looking at, it says access prohibited."

"It says that because that is what I wanted it to say. I never thought I would want to use this thing, but he's just pushed his luck for the last time."

"Ok, I give up — what are you going on about?" Martha was exasperated.

"Let's just say I found something when I was abandoned 200,000 years into the future by Doctor know it all, and I never found a use for it until now." His fingers flew over the keys until the screen glowed with an eerie green light. "Ok, I think it's up and running — let's go!" He grabbed her hand and ran down the hall, leaving instructions that the Doctor was not to be let into Torchwood without Jack's approval. At this point the trainees were only too happy to oblige. They didn't know this Doctor very well, but it seemed to them that he was insane.

"Rose, Rose, can you hear me?" Reeann Fallon wrung out the washcloth in her hands and gently put it on her friend's forehead. Rose was thankful that when she had fainted, Reeann was the only one in her old office and she wouldn't have to deal with some new stupid rumor like she was pregnant or something.

She sat up, rubbing her head where it had hit the edge of her desk. "I'm fine, Reeann, just a little tired." She gave a half grin that her friend did not believe for one second.

"Sure you are, just sit here for a minute and I'll go fetch some tea." And with that she was gone. Probably off to tell everyone Rose was still bonkers. No, Reeann was the one person she actually still trusted at Torchwood, the only one who had actually visited her during her exile from work.

Rose stood up and went to her files. Nothing too new there. Then she noticed it. All of her notes on the Doctors were gone. All of them. She didn't even have her photo of her and the original Doctor on her desk anymore. Puzzled, she turned to Reeann and waved her hand around. "Have they moved me to another building?" Rose wondered aloud.

Reeann glanced away and put the tea down on the desk. "No, Rose — I shouldn't tell you about it, but Henry thought you wouldn't be able to focus on any new business if reminders were everywhere about him — them — oh, you know what I mean."

Henry was her supervisor and had never questioned her focus before. She would have to go have a chat with him. She walked toward the door.

"Rose." The Doctor's voice was stronger now. She steadied herself when she noticed Reeann watching her. "Rose!" He seemed to be in pain.

"I — uh — thought I had heard something," Rose stammered.

"Maybe you shouldn't have come back yet," Reeann offered, watching her friend's face.

"You think I'm crazy too, don't ya?" Rose blurted out before she could stop it.

Reeann looked shocked. "No — I don't. I just don't think this is a good place for you. Henry is up to something and you don't need the stress. He — he keeps talking about some new plans and he won't give details, but he's up in the old research labs quite a bit lately, you know where they took him." She noticed Rose's pained expression. "Oh I'm sorry sweetie, I should just keep my big mouth shut!" She patted Rose's hand and went back to her own corner of the office. Rose just sat there and formed a plan of her own, slowly and without caring about the consequences. 

dwdw

Donna Noble was not one to waste time on anything she felt was odd, she just moved on from it and forgot it. But the past few months had been odd. Dreams about being split in two and there was a man. Wasn't there always, she thought haughtily.

Men — what a waste. Dreams from a man warning her that someone was coming for her, rubbish from eating too many donuts, that's what it was. But she still carried with her the eerie feeling of being watched. Maybe her ex fiancé was stalking her, hah, that would get him nowhere.

Last night had been the worst dream yet. A skinny man in a blue suit had come to her begging her to come back to him, to rejoin, whatever the hell that meant. Some strange sexual thing? She almost remembered something about wanting to see a Charlie Chaplin movie, which was odd too, because she had no real feelings about his films at all. She had tried watching one a few nights ago and had gotten ill. She would really have to stop eating right before bed. It gave her the worst headaches and that strange man kept popping into her dreams. Still, he was attractive in a strange sort of way, almost familiar.

Bouncing into her latest temp assignment, she wondered how many times she would have to watch others get hired on permanently while she was not valued for the efficient, practical supertemp she was. Torchwood, how on earth had she landed a job here? She had never even heard of the place before, but the new agency who had found her thought she would be perfect. So here she was - ready to jump in and save this place. She wondered where the donuts were.

Jack dragged Martha to a large conference room and smiled.

"Well — here we are!"

"At the risk of actually finding out — where is here?" Martha asked, glancing around.

"The magic door to all the answers! Listen, when you were travelling with the Doctor, did you read anything in his library? There was a book on the history of his planet. Did you know that before he started using time rifts for the Tardis, there was another method, a stronger method that was lost in the Time War?"

"Yeah, the Eye of something or other — what of it — it's been destroyed with the Doctor's home world."

"Well, that depends on your perspective, now, doesn't it? Look and try not to kiss me for my brilliance." He pushed a few buttons and a secret panel opened. Then he pushed some buttons on the panel and a hidden door opened. The door had a combination lock and that is when Martha lost patience.

"Jack! I didn't come with you to watch you push buttons all day and talk crazy talk!"

With that, the door opened and a vast green light enveloped the two of them. She remembered hearing about this now — the Eye of Harmony, the artificial black hole that had been the soul of Gallifrey. And it was sitting at Torchwood.

"And you never found a use for this?" she asked, amazed.

"Like I have always said, you have to keep one surprise in your pocket," he answered gleefully. "Now — let's get Rose!"

He went inside the secret room followed cautiously by Martha. The Doctor was not going to like this one bit, she thought. But when had that ever stopped Jack?

Rose and Reeann crept up to the research labs and spoke in hushed whispers.

"Is he in there now, you think?" asked Rose. Reeann shrugged and used her passkey to get into the first level of security. At the next gate, access was denied.

"Damn," said Rose.

"Not to worry." Reeann removed a passkey from her coat with the name Henry Smithers and swiped it. At Rose's amazed look, Reeann laughed. "Always keep a surprise in your pocket."

They entered the room and saw all of Rose's files. They saw her photo missing from her desk. Then they saw the Doctor lying on a table, seeming dead at first, but then they noticed the wires hooked from him into a huge computer. And then they saw a ghost come towards them. A ghost that looked exactly like the Doctor.

"Rose, help me — help us!" Another man seemed to be watching from the corner of her eye. She spun around to come face to face with Jack.

"What the hell?" she sputtered.

"What indeed?" a new voice murmured. Henry Smithers walked out of another room holding a gun to Martha Jones' head. "I think my employer will pay extra if you are all still alive, but I am a man who likes to take chances — so, who knows?"

"Well, if you try shooting anyone in here, the security sensors will have you pegged before you can drop the gun," Reeann pointed out.

"You poor deluded girl, who do you think made sure you got hold of my passkey? And who has the access to security? Me, that's who!" he cackled. Martha's eyes met Rose's and seemed to want to say something, but thought better of it. After all, it couldn't really help her to know about the Doctor's fight with Jack.

A television in the corner of the room seemed to be on but when Rose looked more closely, she saw Donna Noble going through her day, oblivious to the world around her.

"Soon we will use the Eye to get to Miss Noble and then our plans will be complete." Henry laughed.

"Henry, you're mad," Rose said calmly. Nothing could surprise her anymore.

"Mad? Yes, maybe so — but the Master will be so pleased to have all of you come for a visit. And when Miss Noble has the Time Lord half of her joined to the half you see floating around here, we will control our very own Doctor — we will know what he knows before he knows it, and we will finally be able to destroy him!" Henry's eyes were crazed.

"I'm sorry," the semi transparent Doctor said sadly, "I'm not the man who could have saved you all."

Henry shoved Martha at them and locked them in. "So many visitors! And after we have Miss Noble, then the final piece of the puzzle will soon find a way to be here. The real Doctor!"

Rose walked over to the other Doctor's body and held his hand, crying. "Please let me know what to do," she prayed silently.

The Eye of Harmony, thought the Doctor. It existed! The locket he held was glowing the brightest green imaginable. He could feel the Eye being used, but where? And by whom? Focusing on his own instinct and the Tardis, he traced the signal back to its source — Torchwood. And somehow he could feel something at the other end of the Eye's journey and his breath caught. Rose. He had to get to Rose. His dreams were a jumble in the last few nights, Rose, Donna, the other Doctor. Even Martha and that con man Jack. They all called to him and he was always just out of reach. He kept running in his dreams but always ended up right back where he had started. Alone in the Tardis with their voices echoing in his head.

He landed near its entrance and watched in horror as a familiar redhead ran up the steps into the main building. Donna. What was she doing here? He had to stop her before her memories came flooding back. That idiot Jack would surely try to get her to remember out of some misguided sense of loyalty.

He ran into the building but didn't see her. Two security guards came up to him.

"I'm sorry, Doctor," one coughed nervously. "Jack says you're not to enter without his permission."

"Oh, really," the Doctor answered grimly. "Well, you can tell Jack this from me!" He took out his sonic screwdriver and turned a setting up to its full capacity. The two guards fell to the ground and the Doctor swiftly ran past them with a half hearted apology.

"Let me know what to do." Rose's voice. Very near - he raced towards it to a conference room upstairs and saw the opened secret door Jack had not worried about closing. Looking into the Eye, he saw Rose. He leaped towards her without thinking, without caring, and landed on a body. His body. Then everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

Donna Noble saw the strange yet familiar man race upstairs and felt as though her head was going to burst. The man in her dreams. Usually she would not have thought anything of it. Coincidences happened all the time, but she could have sworn she heard someone upstairs calling her name. Maybe this guy was on TV as a weatherman or something - she vaguely remembered a storm around him like a volcano erupting and lots of shouting. Very bizarre. Or maybe this was her new employer and she had lots of important questions about vacation time and coffee breaks.

In any case, she needed an aspirin but then she wondered why the thought of taking one made her ill. Then the pull to go upstairs to that green light was toostrong. She had to go to it. She saw the man jump into a closet and figured he was trying to hide from her. Well, that wasn't very sporting of him — she raced into the closet and was immediately jolted into a swirling green wind of some sort. Her last thought before the darkness closed in was — how much am I getting paid again?

Henry Smithers was insane, Martha thought blankly, but he wasn't stupid. He was waiting for something to happen and he would shoot anyone who interfered. She turned to the sight of Jack and Rose hugging like their lives depended on it. She sighed. Another man in love with the infamous Rose Tyler. Why did every man she took a fancy to prefer blondes? Absently she thought about buying a blonde wig and shook her head with a curt laugh. Honestly, the things you think about before you are about to be shot, or worse.

She took a look at the other Doctor lying motionless on a table and the ghost like form standing next to it. You would think she'd be used to this sort of headache, but it seemed fate always had her bumping into one more mess to test her.

"Hello," she said to the apparition.

He looked at her sadly. "Martha," one word that said so much.

"Good to see you too, well, sort of good, or sort of see you…." Her voice trailed off, not having any idea what she was supposed to be saying.

Reeann quietly went to the computer and studied it. She had to get the soul back into the body, she thought, but she had no idea how to start.

Jack was still hugging Rose to him tightly and they were laughing and crying at the same time. Martha hated to admit it, but she felt happy for both of them.

"When the Doctor told me you were still here, with him," he glanced at the body/ghost, "I knew I had to get you home, I could kill him for leaving you here again."

"Oh, Jack, I'm sure he thought he was being kind, but I don't care — look at him lying there like he's dead, with half of him floating around. I don't know what is going on but I do know that neither of them really loved me and right now I don't care! I just want this to be over." She looked so lost, not anything like the Rose he remembered so well.

"Oh, you are wrong about the not loving you part," Martha broke in. Rose looked at her curiously for a moment, but Jack glared at Martha and she stopped before she could say more.

"Would someone like to tell me what is going on now?"

A new face, hadn't ever seen her before, Martha thought idly. The woman put her hand out and Martha shook it quickly.

"Reeann Fallon, deputy security chief."

"Martha Jones, completely confused idiot." She motioned to the body on the table.

"Your work?"

Reeann looked horrified. "Not at all — I have never been up here before! The question is — what do we do now?"

"We get out of here!" Jack said brightly.

A brief flash of green light blinded them and then complete silence. None of them could see or hear; none of them could speak. And then in the swirling mists of time came two figures, one after the other. The Doctor landed on his twin and the locket burned green fire landing at Rose's feet. Soon after, Donna came flying through and she was glowing the same green flame. The three were joined for an eternity of split seconds. They were joined; they were one.

Donna felt something inside her mind pulling her onward, always onward. Voices she had never known, but knew too well were screaming. Her mind was opening and the pain was unbearable — she had to get to him. She called to him and it was like her voice belonged to someone else. The green light lit a path to him, she could see him on the table and yet he was floating above it — must get to him now before I go mad, she thought and wondered how she knew this. Walls she had put up in herself to protect from the madness were breaking down with no help from her, and she fell through a mist of green fire. There were two men, then three, all looking the same, but not the same. She must join, she thought helplessly. She must return to the madness.

Henry looked into the mirror and called to it. "I am here, Master, I am here."

The reflection didn't change really except in his own mind. Henry Smithers, Koschei, Harry Saxon, Master. All in him, all around him. He was one, and he was many.

The Rod, the Great Key would be here soon to destroy all the Doctor held dear. The fools didn't question that no one was using the Sash of Rassilon to control the Eye safely. They didn't realize he had the Sash and controlled all of them. All he needed now was the Key, and the Doctor himself would be bringing it. Once he had them all, his plan could be complete. All of Time would bow to his power. And the others — oh he would enjoy destroying his other guests in front of this group of prisoners. Wouldn't they be surprised to watch the destruction of an entire race — the Doctor would see it happening again as he did in his nightmares, but it would be all too real - he laughed at the thought.

His reflection glared back at him.

"You fool," he barked, "it is happening and you are here celebrating victory!"

Henry froze. He could feel it. They were here and they had the Rod of Rassilon.

Running to the chamber, he heard drums.

DWDW

Rose felt something hit her leg and glanced down, almost afraid to stop watching the scene in front of her. Her Doctor was here, and Donna, and a swirl of green blazing out of the sky. She felt numb, not sure of how much more she could stand and not knowing if she should care. A brilliantly glowing locket was open at her feet. Slowly, she picked it up and saw the photo. Her Doctor with his arm around her, back when she thought the universe made sense.

Tears sprang to her eyes and she shoved the locket into her jacket.

Henry threw open the door, gun pointed wildly at everyone at once. He saw Rose put the locket away and lunged for her. Reeann pushed her out of the way as Henry's gun went off. Rose watched in horror as her friend fell to the ground and grew still.

Jack grabbed Martha and almost threw her behind a desk. "Stay here until I know what is going on," he ordered.

She gave a look of disbelief. "Not bloody likely!" she shouted back and ran to the fallen woman. "It's ok," she told Reeann, "I'm a doctor and it'll be ok."

Donna and the other doctor stared at each other through the green fire, mentally reaching for each other. Their minds searched and fought to join. She went to the body on the table and held his hand tightly, closing her eyes. Voices merged and flowed with the pain of remembering. Doctor, Donna — Doctor Donna, yes, she was back and she was angry.

With a rush of light, the vision of the doctor reentered his body and the two parts of the doctor were one. But he did not move.

Henry raced into the room and went to grab Rose. A gunshot was fired but Donna and the Doctor paid it no mind. Sanity and fire merged, healing and repairing. Suddenly their eyes opened and the Doctor sat up to look into the eyes of the woman who had saved him yet again.

The Doctor looked at his twin on the table and shuddered. Visions of his mother, Selene, went through his head. Was he dead? If he was, he was saddened to see that his family wasn't waiting for him. But that was human belief from his mother, and he shook off the despair.

He rolled off the table and frantically searched for Rose. He saw her put the locket away and went to go to her. Donna followed and he watched, transfixed for a moment, as she went to the body and grabbed his hand. Light blinded him and he had to turn away.

Then some damned fool with a gun, he hated guns, came in and shot someone. Was it Rose? His mind froze as he saw Rose fall, but it was only to help another woman who had been shot. Martha raced to them both, and why was Martha here? He noticed Jack pulling a weapon and aiming it toward Henry. He should have known Jack would be involved if there were guns being fired.

"NO!" he shouted and jumped on Jack. Jack shoved the Doctor away and swore fiercely.

Henry stopped himself from shouting. It was time; they were all in place. He pulled a matching locket from his shirt pocket and grinned with icy resolve. The time for death and revenge was at hand, he thought. His eyes met with his greatest rival.

"Hello, my brother," he said simply.


	4. Chapter 4

"But you're dead," the Doctor stated quietly.

Who's dead?" Jack blurted out, startled.

"So you know who I am?" Henry smiled. "That's good, that means that you will still be a somewhat worthy opponent."

Jack leveled his gun at Henry's head and locked eyes.  
"Give me one good reason I shouldn't blow your head off right now."

Henry grinned again. "I'll give you two — one, this is not your fight…"

"And two?" Jack's finger pressed slowly on the trigger.

"If you shoot me, you will never see Rose Tyler alive again."

A bright green light flashed, blinding everyone in the room. Jack spun to where Rose had been kneeling with Reeann and Martha. Henry was grinning to the point that he seemed in pain.

The three of them were gone.

"Where have you sent them?" the Doctor demanded.

"They are safe — for now, brother, but I cannot state for any length of certainty just how long that will be so."

"Stop calling me that," the Doctor hissed. The pain in his head was there before he could comprehend fully. Rose — the Master had Rose. Jack tried again.

"And you are -?"

"Henry Smithers, Security Chief. You have learned nothing. Though why I should be surprised - you were never very bright — must be why you thought Torchwood would be somewhere you could hide the Eye," Henry answered dismissively. He sighed as Jack kept his gun pointed at him. "I am the one who brought you here. I am the one pulling the strings on my little puppets. I suppose you could say that makes me the puppet master," He tilted his head. "Hmm, I thought there would be lightning or some ominous music at that reveal. Feel free to squeal in terror now."

"You're the Master?" Jack asked. "Psychopathic ex-Prime Minister Saxon — that Master? He's dead!"

"You are right, he is," Henry answered.

"Then who are you?" Jack yelled.

"Henry Smithers, weren't you paying attention?" That grin again, more insane than before. "I'll admit my plan hasn't gone exactly the way I thought, but I do have all the pieces in place — I've always believed that improvisation is at the heart of any good master plan — no pun intended."

"And Rose," the other Doctor murmured,"What of Rose?"

Henry swirled around to Donna and the other Doctor. "He speaks! Months of persuasion and never a word! Though the mind isn't really what it used to be is it — nestled safely in Miss Noble's brain as it is. Rose is safe," he explained as if to a child, "But if Daddy here does not do as I require, I cannot promise anything."

He smiled at everyone's reaction. "Everyone thinks of you as a brother to the dear Doctor — how absurd, Miss Noble is as a mother to you, of course. Her DNA fused with my dear brother — maybe you should call me Uncle Master — that sounds a little stupid doesn't it? Well, no matter, you won't be alive long enough to worry much about it."

"Why does this nut case keep saying you are his brother?" Jack muttered.

Donna spoke up softly. "Because it's true. And that is why they both must be destroyed."

Rose awoke slowly, and glanced around. It was night, she thought, and the sky was a burnt orange color. Reeann was resting peacefully with no trace of a gunshot wound and Martha was talking to a tall woman with bright red hair. The woman smiled when she saw Rose.

"Good, you are awake - it's been a few hours I've just been explaining to your friend that we have been expecting you."

"You have." It came out more as a statement than a question but Rose was too numb to think clearly.

"Of course - Koschei sent the locket back here so that he could trace its path and find us - but he does not expect that we are prepared for him."

Martha looked as if she should be saying something, then turned to gaze out the window. "He always said it was beautiful, but I never thought it would be so calm here," she murmurred.

Rose frowned. "And just where is here?"

The woman smiled. "Why, Gallifrey, of course. When the great War was almost finished, Gallifrey knew it had to preserve itself and transported to this universe. We used a great power source - but did not realize it would break under the strain. Half was lost and half was found."

Martha spoke up. "And the Doctor thinks he destroyed you all - don't you think that is a bit cruel? And why couldn't he feel you?"

The woman shook her head and continued. "All will be explained. Koschei tried to follow but could not find the right path - the Rod of Rasillon was broken in two and its essence was placed in two new vessels during the transport - sort of like a key back to Gallifrey. Koschei found half of the Rod and, well - you have the other half." The woman grew silent and smiled.

"OK, I am totally lost - where is the other half?"

"Look in your pocket, Rose."

Rose pulled out the locket and stared. It was humming.

"Your Doctor gave you that locket to keep the Rod safe. He knew that if the two halves of the Great Locket were joined, it would lead back to us - and to the Rod. He just didn't know where the other half was until now."

"And he didn't think I'd be in danger having this thing?" Rose cried.

"Rose, he thought the Master was gone, who else would want the other half? Who else would know to look for it? No, your Doctor kept the locket safe with you until he could find the other half. But he didn't know it would lead him back to us - he only knew it was the one last piece of his homeworld and still held great power. He didn't feel us because, technically, he was only here long enough to say goodbye to you and - well - he had locked all of us away in a part of his mind he refused to listen to anymore. It really was like we were dead."

Martha sighed. "Well, that is all very well and peachy, but the question now is what happens next? Does the Master show up and destroy this place or do we fight with the Doctor?"

"They must both be destroyed," the woman answered.

"WHAT?" Martha and Rose yelled in unison.

"They both must be destroyed," Donna repeated.

"What?" the Doctor asked confused.

Donna sighed. "The lockets. They must be destroyed before they can hurt anyone again." She walked up to Henry, "So you are the Master, hmm - must spend a lot of time practicing that snarl in front of a mirror. Never saw such an ugly smile before - hand over the jewelry, you don't want to go off doing more damage."

"How do you know about the lockets?" the Doctor asked.

"Because you are a part of me, and the Master there is a part of you. It's hazy, but the general feeling is that this guy is bonkers and we need to get that locket back before he uses it for some stupid plan."

"Stupid?" Henry snorted. "Dear lady, I have been called many things -"

Donna waved her hand in his face dismissively. "And you'll be called many more I'm sure - but you dragged us all here for a reason, so can we please get on with it?"

He held out his locket, which was burning a bright red. "When I join this with the other half of the Key, I shall return home brother. Oh, yes, we are brothers even though you block that out now. You knew I was destined for greatness and ran away from home - you knew you could never win against me. How is it we always know what the other is feeling, but still can't seem to destroy the other - because you are a coward. You know this to be true. And you will never change." He held the locket and smiled. "And now - off to Gallifrey!"

"Quick, join hands!" Donna shouted to the others as she grabbed Henry's arm. And with a blinding flash of light, the room was empty.

dwdw

"Now where are we?" Jack yelled. "Can't you control this guy?" he asked the Doctor.

The swirling green vortex was still below them like a giant whirlpool. If Martha jumped, she would be — oh, yes, that was right — alternate universe with no way to get back home. What a horrible day, she thought wearily.

"Shut up, Jack," Martha yelled back. "We have enough troubles." Jack ran up to her and hugged her. She pulled away, only slightly annoyed with him. "No time for that — what took you guys so long?"

Donna and the other Doctor stared at the woman Rose had been talking with and an immense sadness came over them as they realized who she was. The woman smiled and nodded but did not speak.

The Doctor and the Master were struggling for the red half of the locket so intensely they did not notice where they were until Rose grabbed the closest thing she could find and threw it at them — a pitcher of water. Jack started laughing uncontrollably at that and Martha smacked him on the head. The Master punched his rival in the stomach and the Doctor lunged at him with a look of pain on his face.

"Enough!" Rose screamed. The two stopped long enough to glance at her as the other Doctor grabbed the red locket. The Doctor looked beyond furious as he ran up to Rose and demanded her locket. Bitterly, she flung it at him and it slid along the floor.

"If it's so important to you, go chase it!" He gave her one last look of anger, then ran over to where the green locket spilled forth a mist that swirled toward the red locket. The red locket gave off a matching mist and seemed to move closer to its twin.

Suddenly the Master grabbed both halves of the locket and laughed - an unearthly sound. "Now I can finally claim what is mine — Gallifrey will be destroyed for their betrayal of me. Watch, Doctor, as all you love is incinerated!"

As he started to chant, robed figures entered and surrounded him holding hands. The swirling mists grew brighter and it became harder to breathe. Still no one could move to stop it; the figures raised their joined hands and called to the Eye. Watching in silence the other s saw the Master become smaller, younger, and louder. With a great flash of light, the Master disappeared and left behind a little boy who looked around with fear and confusion.

The woman stepped forward and took the boy by the hand. "Come, my child, we must go."

The Doctor looked at her for the first time and choked back tears. "Mother?" he whispered.

The red and green lockets were joined together into a golden sphere, no longer glowing. The photo of Rose and the Doctor appeared on one side, and another photo of a woman and child appeared on the other. Donna looked closely at the photos a bit confused at first, then smiled in understanding.

An eerie silence covered the room and Martha could swear she could hear everyone's heartbeat. All eyes were on the woman and child in the middle of the room too shocked to speak. Jack shook his head and looked at the Doctor.

"You have a mother?" Martha went to smack him again and he ducked quickly.

The woman laughed with a look of great amusement on her face. "Jack Harkness, we have been watching you. You keep my son in line a bit. He is lucky to have that since I have not been around to do it myself ."

At the look of disbelief on the Doctor's face, she tilted her head and smiled. "It's really me, well sort of really me. More of a memory really, but maybe a bit more. When the Council figured out what you were planning to do during the War," At the Doctor's look of shock she smiled again. "Don't look surprised, Time Lords aren't oblivious to plans that concern them — they decided to have a safe guard in place. Me." She sent the child out of the room with a hooded figure.

"But you are dead. And you are not real." The Doctor slowly backed away.

The woman shrugged. "I'm as real as your other Doctor over there. I have the same thoughts, memories, and feelings."

"You are a clone," Donna spoke up, "Like this one." She held the other Doctor's hand. "But you are different somehow, more complete."

"Yes, my DNA was not split into two beings." She sighed. "I have been waiting for an eternity for this time to pass, and now that it is here, I am not sure how to begin."

The Doctor never took his eyes off of his mother. "The beginning would be a good place to start."

"You my son were part of a great prophecy, to protect our world from total destruction. The only way the Daleks would have believed we were destroyed was to have you believe it. So the Council broke the Key into two vessels and gave them to you and your brother as lockets. Yes, you are brothers, with the same father — his mother died before I met your father and well, it's complicated in a timey wimey sort of way but you were both born around the same time. We imprinted the memory that it was my locket with both of you and sent you off in different directions until it was time to rejoin. Koschei's memories came back too soon because of the transport to this universe. He was never supposed to come here, however when he was shot — well a misguided friend brought him to this universe's Torchwood and the real Henry Smithers was killed so that he could be replaced . No one had ever seen Smithers, so it was fairly easy to accomplish."

"And who did that?" Jack asked harshly. He glanced at the still sleeping Reeann and noticed how her gunshot wound was gone. He spun back to the Doctor's mother. "It was you? You killed someone for that monster?"

"No — I did bring him to Torchwood, but I did not kill anyone for him. Koschei did that his first night there. Smithers was just arriving and saw us materialize. Before I could do anything, the Eye brought me back to Gallifrey and left him on his own. Smithers never stood a chance. Inadvertently I set the prophecy in motion and could not stop it, but I could give you all dreams that would lead you back to us. Koschei found his locket and remembered everything — just as he was meant to do. And now all must be put right."

Rose had been staring at the Doctor this whole time. She finally spoke. "And what does that mean exactly?"

"The others here are clones as well - but the originals, our people are merely sleeping. They must be awakened and Gallifrey must be put back into the correct universe. And then my son must be reunited with his wife."

"Wife?" the others asked.

"Yes, River Song."


	5. Chapter 5

"We must get Gallifrey back to its original orbit," the Doctor's mother repeated. "To do that, we must first send people ahead to Torchwood so that they can monitor the process. Jack, Martha, and Rose must go back with the Orb."

"The Orb — of course," Martha agreed. "What on earth is that, um, what do I call you, Mrs. Doctor's mum?"

"Seline will be fine," she answered briskly. "The Orb is that ball on the ground that the lockets became. Now, once you are back at Torchwood, you must take the Orb to these coordinates and release it into space. Gallifrey will do the rest." She handed Jack a computer disk and grinned. "I trust you know how to work a computer for more than getting into trouble" He took the disk and smiled back.

The swirling green mist was back. Reeann opened her eyes and looked around dazed. "Where the hell are we?" she asked. Martha took her to the side and explained. Reeann could just nod and smile. Smithers wasn't Smithers? Orb? Working at Torchwood didn't prepare her for planetary transfers across alternate universes. She was going to need a raise.

"How did he get a good looking mother like you?" Jack asked and moved before he could be smacked by anyone.

"What about us?" Donna asked. "What are we to do?"

Seline smiled. "We have a few things to discuss and it would be better that it happens before the transfer back to the other universe."

Rose's head was spinning as she grabbed the Orb and raced to the green mist ahead of the others. The Doctor was right behind her.

"Rose, we need to talk." She spun around to face him, furious. "Talk? About what exactly? You abandoning me twice? You lying to me about never leaving me? Or that you had a wife? I hope that when this planet comes back home, you are not on it!" She slapped him and jumped into the mist. The Doctor could only stare for a moment, then walk back to the others. Jack and Martha led Reeann to the mist and the three of them jumped into it. Just before it was his turn, Jack looked fiercely at the Doctor.

"I don't really know everything that is going on, but it seems to me that you are at the heart of this mess, so maybe you should take Rose's advice and not be on this planet when it comes back to the other universe." With that, he saluted Seline and jumped.

Seline smiled, "Now then, we have a few things to discuss. We will start with Donna and the other Doctor. Come, my children, and sit down, we haven't much time." She looked at the Doctor. "Son, your memories have been coming back in pieces, now that you are on Gallifrey and the prophecy has been started, you should remember more, it may seem chaotic at first, but it will settle soon."

The Doctor felt sick. River Song was his wife? Memories of a wedding on a mountain, vague and shapeless memories. But the woman wasn't River. It was Rose. Angrily he pushed the imagined thought out of his mind. He didn't want to remember anything, and he didn't want to fantasize about a future that could not be realized. He knew he wanted to tell Rose he loved her, but now, how could he?

Seline turned to Donna and the other Doctor. "Well, let's begin. I'm guessing the two of you are feeling better than you have in a while?" The two nodded and never let go of the other's hand. "Good. The truth is - you were never supposed to be separated. Donna and the Doctor travelling forever — that is how it is supposed to be. You really are a part of the other and shall always be that way."

She handed them two keys and looked pleased. "These are the keys to your Tardis, and you must stay in this universe to be its Time Lord and Lady, John and Donna — it is John now, is it not?" At their shocked looks, she smiled. "Don't worry, all will be back the way it was. There is no Gallifrey in this universe, there could only be one Gallifrey. But travel between universes will be restored now that the Great Wars are over. Donna, you can still go back to see your family at times. And the two of you have an entire universe to explore — together."

Donna and John smiled as understanding began. They were joined. They were together — friends and travelling companions just as they had always planned. A Tardis appeared before them: a blue police box. They gave a questioning look to Seline.

"The chameleon circuit works just fine on this one so you might want to change the appearance. I just thought it would be a bit of fun for it to look like this your first time," Seline explained. "John, click your fingers." He did and the door opened. They walked up to the Doctor and Donna gave him a big hug.

"See you another time, Spaceman."

"Donna, I am so sorry, I didn't know, didn't realize — " the Doctor started, but Donna shook her head.

"No, you did what you were meant to do, and everything will be glorious, trust me. Go to your wife, silly man, have a wonderful life and invite us to the wedding." They entered the Tardis and were gone in a wave of light.

Seline turned to her son. "And now, about that wife — you know we tried to tell you so many ways that you were to be with River — from the moment she first came to you actually. She's unique, that one — she wasn't born a Time Lady, but she absorbed energy from your Tardis and transformed even though you thought you removed all of that energy she still needed some of it to survive. She doesn't really know in this timeline yet that she is one of us. You should have realized then she was something special, no one has ever done what she did and survived. And then in the library, you were so dense — you couldn't figure it out even when she said your name and had your sonic screwdriver. She gave you clues to who she was, but she couldn't tell you her real name at that point in the timeline." She paused briefly. "Even when she first told you she loved you, you couldn't say it back to her."

He froze and stared at her. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"Think of her name, son, River Song — think of the library and what you were fighting together. Think of how she gave her life for yours and you will remember. If you would have stayed a few moments more, you would have seen her regenerate."

He closed his eyes and tried to block out the music. River Song, and then it hit him like a punch to the stomach. He grinned brighter than he thought possible and swung his mother around, laughing like he was crazy. Maybe he was. They had fought the Vashtu Nerada together. It was so simple and he felt so stupid.

The letters of River Song could be changed around. RIVER SONG Rose/Ring/V for Vashtu Nerada. River was his wife, Rose was River — Rose was his wife.

"Not yet, my boy!" Seline warned. "She left here in quite a huff, didn't she? Seems like you have some work to do after we get this planet back home."

Home, he thought giddily. Home and his mother, and Rose was his wife.

dwdw

Rose was the first to emerge from the mist and glanced around quickly. Torchwood, yes, she could see that. But it was different somehow. She was back home. Stunned, she just stood there until Jack, Martha and Reeann jumped out in a jumble of arms and legs crashing into her. She found herself pinned under Jack, as Martha and Reeann landed on top of him. He grinned as the three women struggled to their feet.

"Why the rush, ladies, think of the possibilities!" Rose giggled while Martha just sighed roughly and stood up.

Reeann looked around. "This isn't right — this is Torchwood, isn't it?"

"I'm home." Rose laughed. "This is home."

"Of course it is, we have a planet to move back here, remember?" Martha snapped. "Jack, give me that disk so we can get moving on this."

He looked at her, a bit surprised, and winked. "What's the matter, Jonesy? Did you land on something hard?" She rushed past him and disappeared down a hallway to her office. The others exchanged looks and followed closely behind.

"She's just stressed." Rose shrugged.

They watched as Martha located the coordinates and rushed out the door. The Tardis was just where the Doctor had left it, out in plain sight. She pulled out her key and unlocked the door.

"You still have a key?" Rose asked, surprised.

"Of course, don't you?" Martha answered and went inside.

Jack coughed and glanced around. "Well, now that we are here, does anyone know how to fly this thing?"

The little boy sat alone in his room and tried to remember who he was. He'd been left alone since being put here and he was a little nervous. Soon the nice lady came in and took his hand.

"You're going to be fine, little one — you've been lost for a very long time, but you are home now. Try to get some rest and I'll be back soon."

"Do you know who I am?" he asked, clutching her hand.

"Your name is Koschei, and you have a whole lifetime to become whoever you want to be."

Stroking his hair for a moment, she left again. Koschei fell asleep and felt safe for the first time in forever.

The Doctor stood in the Great Hall with his mother and was speechless. One by one, the High Council had been revived and reunited with their champion. They explained that all over the planet, everyone was waking up from an induced sleep the Master had put them in until he could exact his revenge plan. Now the Doctor looked at the President and waved his hand around helplessly.

"How could I not sense all of this? How could I have failed all of you?"

"You could not have failed us if you were not part of our plan," the President chided gently. "The important thing to remember is that all is happening as it should and we have much to do. The signal from space should be intercepted soon and the transfer will begin."

The Doctor looked at her for a moment. "About this transfer, how exactly is that going to happen — I mean you don't just move a planet — can't really be done, and across an alternate universe?"

The President looked at the Doctor and smiled. "Good to see you haven't changed much." She turned and walked out of the Chamber with the Doctor following with a million questions.

The thing about little boys is that they seldom do as they are told. So it should have been no surprise that Koschei did not stay in his room. If no one would tell him who he was, he would have to find out for himself. He wandered around narrowly avoiding the adults until he reached a large computer room. Without knowing how he knew, he found the file on himself and began reading. He felt sick, this could not be right, he was not bad.

He heard voices coming from down the hall and hid behind a large console. It was the man in the brown suit that had glared at him earlier.

"What I don't understand is how I could have another brother and in,, um nine hundred years, no one could be bothered to tell me about it."

"And just when was that supposed to happen?" another voice, one he didn't know. "When you two were chasing each other across the universe trying to kill or outwit each other? Really as smart as you two are, we thought you would figure it out on your own. The only reason Koschei did was because he was brought over to this universe while mortally wounded and the regeneration through the Eye triggered the prophecy. Which of course triggered his knowledge of our plan. Which actually made it possible for him to trick us and put the planet to sleep - well that is not important. Seline was awakened when that happened, even though the woman does have the strangest sense of humor. I suppose you get the quirkiness from her."

The door opened and the two entered the chamber. The man seemed restless and a bit out of sorts, Koschei thought.

"We will have time to discuss all of this once Gallifrey is back in its own orbit," the lady was saying. Koschei remembered she was called President, but he wasn't sure what she was President of, and he wasn't sure he liked her.

"And how will the planet actually be moved?" the man asked.

"The way it was moved before - through the Eye." the lady answered, checking some computer readings.

"Madame President, you don't mean to tell me that Gallifrey's big plan was to move through a black hole into another universe. Isn't that a bit, well, risky?" The man's eyes were hard to read, but Koschei thought he saw a glint of humor there.

"We knew what we were doing. And now we have to wait for that signal and go through again. Let's just hope your friends know how to read that disk, or we could end up coming back into a newly formed star or some such nonsense."

The Doctor grimaced. "Humans can be a bit hard to understand, but these three are some of the best I've found. I have faith in them."

The President arched one perfectly groomed blond eyebrow as her golden eyes studied him. "That is good, because faith is all we have to work with right now."

They worked on the huge computers for a few moments more then left the way they came. Koschei came out and looked at the readings. Maybe he could help by working on this for them. Maybe if he changed a few settings? He studied the computers and started to work.

Martha quickly started the Tardis and it spun into space. The others just looked at her and she glared back at them.

"What? Was I the only one who paid attention while on this thing? Jack, get ready to put the orb into the cargo ejector and press the output button."

Jack moved to the other side of the Tardis. "Right, ejector - um where is that?" He grinned with what he thought was a charming, boyish grin.

Martha simply rolled her eyes. "The gold door on the wall, Jack - then press the button next to it that is blinking."

Jack ran to the console and threw the orb inside. Turning to Martha, he saluted. "Ready when you are, Jonesy."

The Tardis moved into position quickly and they could see the swirling green mist appear. Martha gave the signal and Jack pushed the button.

Nothing happened.

"Jack, I told you to push the button!" Martha yelled.

"I did push the button - nothing happened. Maybe it's broken," he yelled back.

Rose ran up to the ejector and tried pushing the button. Still nothing was happening. Frustrated, she spun to Martha. "Now what?"

Martha looked at her readout on her handheld computer. "Argh, we have to be right in the path of the planet's orbit before the Tardis will release the orb."

Jack tilted his head and gazed at Martha calmly. "Okay, so that means that when this planet comes roaring back into this universe, we will be crushed like bugs on a windshield."

Rose held her hand over her face and tried not to cry. "We agreed to do this, so discussing it now is a bit pointless. Martha, you seem to be able to control the Tardis, let's just finish."

"I don't know what the orbit was, I'm not from around here," Martha snapped.

Rose's hand was resting on the Tardis console and she felt its familiar hum through her fingers. She felt stronger somehow. Closing her eyes, she saw an image of a wolf racing towards her. All right, Rose said to herself, if this is how it ends, she would let herself become one with the Tardis again. She had nothing left anyway, and she was tired of running from her dreams. _My Doctor_, she thought wearily,_ my love can't change you, but maybe I can do something good with it and bring you all home_.


	6. Chapter 6

As the scientists of Gallifrey moved to transfer the planet through the black hole known as the Eye, a somber Doctor watched the preparations and became nervous. Once the planet was back where it belonged, he would have to face Rose. And an angry Rose was not a pleasant encounter.

He thought back to her face before she jumped back to her own world and realized that she had gone home without any help from him. She didn't need him - she pretty much had told him so when she left. With all this new activity in the timeline, maybe the prophecy would not have to complete. He wondered how she had become a Time Lady.

He had taken all of the energy from the Heart of the Tardis from her that he could - that would not have changed her. Then what? He rubbed his eyes and tried to think but it was all a jumble of guilt and sadness. Finally, he thought, I'm free to love her, free to be with her for all of time, and she can't stand the sight of me.

If he couldn't get her to forgive him, he would be back to where he was in the beginning, alone and bitter. He glanced out the large round windows and sighed. Maybe it was what he deserved.

A small noise made him look up quickly. The young boy was sneaking around but the Doctor paid him little mind. The great Master reduced to a small boy; it was almost funny, really. He noticed that the boy pretended to ignore him, but watched the Doctor out of the corner of his eye. He stared at him for a moment. Maybe there were some residual memories or maybe the boy just didn't know who to trust.

The Doctor grimaced. Now he was playing child psychologist to a crazed murderer. The boy suddenly ran out of the room like he had somewhere urgent to go and the Doctor turned back to the windows.  
The door glided open again but when the Doctor looked up, it was the President accompanied by her guard detail. She nodded to him and he swiftly left the room with her — it was time.

Koschei was following at a discreet distance with a remote control in his hand. There was no way the humans would know how to steer the Tardis into the orbit's path without some guidance. He had fed the right information into the remote and started to activate the sequence that would help the Tardis find the correct location. Now all he needed was confirmation of where the ship was so he could start helping.

"Hello, Tardis! Can you read me? I'll lead you to the right coordinates, hang on!"

Rose went to the Tardis and closed her eyes, listening for the voice that would become part of her, bringing all of time and space into her mind again. But this time there would be no one saving her. No Doctor, no peace. She listened again bracing herself for the pain - then opened her eyes, startled.  
The voice said "No." She tried again, but she could not join. Puzzled she turned to the others and tried to tell them she couldn't help, but she was alone. She heard the voice all around her.

"You cannot look into the Eye again, Rose Tyler. Once was enough for what you have become. Look inside yourself and you will see that you are the one great hope for your Doctor and his world." Rose was puzzled as images floated into her mind. She saw the goodbye at the ocean with the Doctor's eyes, heard the anguished thoughts he had as he entered the Tardis - saw him say goodbye to Donna. All the lonely days and nights past that until the fight with Jack, when he admitted he loved Rose. His dreams of losing her and finding her and how he had jumped into the Eye for her even though he didn't know where he was jumping or what dangers were there. She didn't want these fantasies in her head. She wanted to have a new life far from the craziness that had followed her for the past several years.

She saw things she had never thought about before - how she never seemed to feel sick or tired except when she was missing the Doctor. When had that started? She thought back quickly - then it hit her. When she had kissed the other Doctor on the beach, something like an electric current had gone through her for the briefest of moments. Her depression had dampened it, but she still could feel the current if she stood still and focused.

"Yes," the voice continued. "The regeneration energy was still strong in the other doctor and it transferred into you, merging with your DNA. The end of the prophecy is not that you should die - but that you should live - like the Doctor, with the Doctor."

Rose was not convinced. "He left me twice."

"To protect you, Rose Tyler. He thought he was the killer of worlds, the last of a race of destoyers and that eventually he would be the cause of your death. That, Rose Tyler is the true curse of the Time Lords. Not that they must live alone, but that they believe themselves to be the cause of their loved ones death."

She started to cry. That didn't mean he loved her, only that he protected himself from the pain of losing her to death. She felt dead so how did he help her?

"Enough - you must release the Orb into space and guide Gallifrey home."

Rose was jerked out of her conversation with the Tardis when she heard shouts. They were being thrown around space like a child's toy and the others were frantically trying to find the right controls to guide it back to where the planet's orbit should be found.

"Martha, I thought you knew how to control this thing!" Jack was shouting over the loud wails of the Tardis.

Martha frowned in concentration and did not look up from pushing buttons and pulling levers. "I never said I was an expert at this. But it's like the thing has a life of its own," she answered.

"Hello, Tardis! Can you read me? I'll lead you to the right coordinates, hang on!" They all jumped as an earnest voice called out from nowhere and everywhere.

"Who the hell is that?" Reeann asked, looking around puzzled. She had tried to stay calm but it wasn't easy when she was in a blue box hurtling toward the path of an entire planet. And now the box was talking to them.

The Orb jumped out of Jack's hands and rolled across the floor. Rose and Jack jumped toward it at the same time and bumped heads. As they bounced off each other, the Orb rolled under a cabinet and the voice came again. "You are almost there, release the Orb!"

"Is that the Heart?" Jack asked Rose.

She shook her head - she didn't know who that was. She reached where she thought the Orb had gone. There it was! As she reached for it, the Tardis rolled to one side and she fell backwards into a wall. The Orb flew threw the air and crashed into another wall - did it break? No, but the photos on it fell off and slid under a cabinet. No time to worry about that, thought Rose - she just needed to throw the damned thing out of the Tardis.

Jack reached for it and caught it just before it flew off again. The Tardis spun erratically as Martha tried again to get the ship under control. Just as she seemed to stabalize the Tardis, Jack threw the Orb to Rose. She flung opened the hatch and ejected the beacon into space. Just then the ship turned almost completely upside down and everyone screamed. Warning strobe lights started up and the wails from the ship became louder. The Orb sped through space and opened.

In space, a glimmer the size of a large planet was forming just beyond them. Gallifrey was returning and they would be crushed if they couldn't find a way to regain control.


	7. Chapter 7

Now the visual connection between universes was complete and the scientists were gazing for a moment at where their home would once again dance along its orbit. The Doctor watched with horrified fascination as his beloved Tardis screamed through space - seemingly without reason.

He knew Martha had studied how to steer the ship when she thought she might need to one day. She had been convinced that he might get into trouble and she would have to come save him. Idiotic notion he agreed with himself, but still, she should know how to steer the Tardis. Jack must be trying to take over, he sighed. He grabbed a transceiver and called his ship.

"Martha, what are you doing to my ship? Get it out of the way!" he snapped, irritated.

The voice that came back was in no mood. "Tell your crazy ship to let me steer it unless you want us to smash into your backyard!" Martha snapped back at him.

The Doctor tried not to notice Rose standing a little too close to Jack for comfort and turned his attention back to Martha. She was doing all the right things, he noted, but the Tardis was not responding. Behind him, the little boy edged closer to the screen and adjusted his remote. Quickly, the Doctor grabbed it out of his hand and glared. "Are you trying to kill us all?"

"No! Give it back - they need me to guide them into the orbit."

"No, you little fool, they need to get out of the orbit now that the Orb has been released. Or is this part of your latest plan to destroy both universes?" The Doctor towered ominously over the boy, and Koschei glared back at him.

"Give it back to me," the boy said stubbornly. "I know what I am doing."

"Who are you yelling at now?" Jack asked, "It's just like you to ignore when your friends need help." Rose shot him a look, but didn't say anything.

As they were arguing, Gallifrey entered its home universe, causing a ripple in space that sent the Tardis flying straight toward where the planet was materializing. The Tardis flew out of control, and then there were two Tardises pushing against each other like magnets that repelled. A familiar voice came over the speakers of both the planet and Tardis.

"Need any help?" Donna Noble asked with a laugh. She spun her Tardis around and pushed the other ship out of the path of Gallifrey. Both Tardises danced around the other in perfect harmony well beyond where the planet was materializing. Cheers were heard down on the planet below.

Rose hugged Jack and gave him a long kiss as they realized they were safe. Martha didn't seem to notice, but the Doctor's eyes held a dangerous spark in them as he stared at the monitor directly at Rose. She glanced at him for a moment and that little smile she always seemed to have when she thought she was smarter than he was spread across her face. When she saw the intensity of his stare, she gave Jack another hug and broke off the transmission.

As his view of Jack and Rose was abruptly cut off, the Doctor felt a series of emotions: anger, confusion, and something he couldn't quite put his finger on but it was very strong. He needed to see her - now. This had gone on quite long enough, and she actually looked like she enjoyed kissing that idiot. Obviously once he told her about this whole prophecy thing, she would realize how ridiculous thoughts of being with Jack were. He became so focused on how he would straighten out this mess that he didn't realize Koschei was following him. He stopped abruptly and turned to the boy.

"And just what can I do for you?" the Doctor asked, almost absentmindedly. He was finding it hard to focus and was trying to remember which direction he should be heading.

"They told me that you know me better than anyone else here - I want you to tell me more about who I am - or was - " the boy struggled with his thoughts. "I'm not bad but I have the feeling I could be - if I let myself."

"We all could be bad - you were just uncommonly brilliant at it. You still may be - you may grow up to be the same selfish, destructive monster you were before they shrank you. Who knows? I still don't think you should be trusted to wander around on your own and I'm not completely sure you weren't trying to kill everyone today." Koschei looked stricken and the Doctor made a very good effort to not just walk away. He started over and tried to speak quickly before Jack had any more time with Rose.

"Look, I don't really have time to explain the intricacies of your evil years - I have places to go, people to see." He tried rushing off but stopped at the look on the boy's face. The Doctor groaned silently - this is why he didn't talk much to children, they seemed to have a way of making you feel guilty even when you hadn't done anything.

Something clicked inside of him, and he remembered his own children that had been only hazy dreams for so many centuries. He suddenly thought about Jenny and could almost imagine her mind searching for his. He felt them all, somewhere - were any of them his children with Rose? Some, yes, and one from a poorly thought out teenage marriage he would rather not think about since it ended a few days into it once his father had found them. He grinned a bit remembering those few days then shook it off as he realized the boy was watching him.

"You can help me." The statement was simple and Koschei's voice seemed very mature. What was he now? Eight? Nine? Couldn't they have gone back further and split his atoms or something?

Visions of Rose flooded his memory, and River and a few other regenerations that were new to him. All beautiful, all his Rose. So many memories and emotions were pouring over him, and he needed time to work through it all - and he needed to do it with Rose. He shoved his hands in his pockets and tilted his head, searching for something to say.

"I don't know if they got all the bad stuff out of you, but I'm not the one who can help you. Go to Selene, she seems to have all the answers where you are concerned. I'm just not equipped to be your personal historian - it would be pointless." The boy didn't say anything, just looked up with large intelligent eyes.

The Doctor tried one more time. "Go talk to her, and if I have time later, maybe - I can try to explain a few things to you. But don't get any ideas that we are just going to fall into some cutesy brother relationship just because my father passed along some genetic material onto you."

The boy almost grinned. "Fair enough, brother," he said, enjoying the look of discomfort on the Doctor's face. "I'm going to come find you later." He ran off and the Doctor let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding as he watched to boy disappear down a hallway.

Nothing was going to keep him from her now. Not even his own stupid mistakes.

Jack laughed when Rose cut off the transmission - the look on the Doctor's face had been priceless. He hugged her again tightly. There was no way she'd get hurt again by that man, Jack would see to it.

"Jack," she sputtered and laughed. "Can't breathe…"

"I haven't really had a chance to say hello! Welcome home, Rose Tyler."

Rose smiled brightly and glanced at Reeann. She was talking to Martha quietly and puzzling over the controls. "How is it going over there?"

Reeann smiled back. "Well, Martha is teaching me a few of these controls. No one from our Torchwood has ever seen anything like this. I'll be quite popular."

Rose grabbed Jack's hand and pulled him into another room. He smiled at Martha on the way out but she ignored him. "Rose, this is all so sudden." She punched him on the arm and grew serious.

"Jack, I need to know some things and you are the only one I can trust." She told him everything the Tardis had revealed to her as he grew more uncomfortable. "I need to know if any of it is real, or did the Tardis just show me what I wanted to see so I'd release the Orb?" Rose's brown eyes never wavered from Jack as he struggled to form an answer that would not hurt her.

"Does it matter? His mom says he's married so he's off limits, right? Let him go mess up someone else's life. You can come back to Torchwood, my Torchwood and be part of the team. You don't even have to see him, I'll have him banned — I sort of did already not that it helped much. We need you Rose."

"And you need him, Rose Tyler," the Tardis called to her softly. She tried to block out the voice, which was impossible since it was in her mind. "Your love is for all time, all lifetimes. Like a river without end it flows through your hearts - your song will continue through your children."

"Rose, are you all right?" Jack asked, concerned.

Rose nodded weakly. "I need some time alone, Jack, just a few minutes."

"Sure, I'll go tell Reeann some of my best hero stories - I'll bet she'll love them." He bowed once, then left Rose to her churning thoughts.

dwdwdw

Rose felt dizzy. Too many thoughts were racing through her head at once. She had not had a chance to think about the past few hours and she hadn't wanted to remember. The Tardis had said she was like the Doctor - was she a Time Lady? How would she know?

The woman back on Gallifrey had said the Doctor's wife was called River Song and now the Tardis was using those words. Was it a sick joke? She didn't want to regenerate. She liked being Rose Marian Tyler and could not imagine giving that up to be a completely different being. Maybe the Tardis could remove the DNA she received from the other doctor.

"No, Rose Tyler - you cannot undo what has been done. You told him once that you made your choice a long time ago, you told him that you were never going to leave him. He knows who you really are now, he knows you are to be his wife, have always been his wife." The voice was infuriatingly calm.

"He left me twice!" Rose reminded the ship, hurt lingering in her voice. She could feel the Tardis sigh. It was not quite an earthquake, but more a low rumble that still almost knocked her off her feet.

"Must we go through this again - you know his reasons, and you now know your destiny. You are not stupid, Rose Tyler, though quite stubborn. This will serve you well in your future lives. You cannot run from love - look what it did to him when he tried; he ran and it did not make him forget how he still feels for you. If anything, it's made him even ruder than usual. Close your eyes and let yourself feel the truth - you have already accepted it, it is only your misguided anger that is preventing you from admitting it."

Rose thought about it for a moment, then slowly all of the memories she had been denying came flooding back. Run, he had told her once, and she had - straight into total chaos. She did love him but he had to be told who she was before he could allow himself to love her?

Stop it, she told herself, this won't get me anywhere. The question remained - what now? She swallowed hard and looked up at the ceiling. Maybe she could try to trust him - just a little. But he would have to convince her of his feelings and that would not be easy. Surprisingly, she caught herself smiling - let him pursue her for once? It had possibilities.

Jack entered the control room and found Martha alone. He glanced around idly. "Where's Reeann?"

"Off resting - did you want me to tell you which bedroom?" Martha answered quietly. Jack sensed something different in her tone - resignation, sadness? This wasn't like her.

"So this whole thing is almost over and we can go back to normal. I can't wait to get home and get out of these clothes - maybe you could help me?" he winked.

Martha slammed the console and glared at him. "It just never stops with you, does it? Does everything with a pulse have to be fair game to you? Won't Rose get jealous to have you in her flirting with me and hinting about Reeann? You just jump from species to species, male to female, never caring who you hurt or what you are doing. You just keep acting cute and leave a trail of wounded hearts behind you like shipwrecks."

Jack was stunned. Where had this come from? "Martha? Are you serious? Every time I flirt with you, I get hit in the head or glared at - I thought it was our game. Plus, you were engaged for a bit there, remember?"

"I'm not saying I love you or anything stupid like that, but would it have killed you to look at me the way you look at Rose? The way everyone looks at Rose?"

"Rose was - is - very important, but we all know who she loves. I can try to talk her out of it all I want, but she's hooked. She's going to get hurt, and that bothers me, but if I can at least get her to think about it a little, maybe I can stop a friend from making a mistake. Really, that's all it is." He came closer smiling. "So you think I'm cute, do you? I knew it! I am very irresistable."

She started to say something bitter, then saw the gleam of amusement in his eye. Giving him a hug, she murmurred that they did have one more problem.

"What's that?" Jack asked, concerned.

"Well, I do know how to fly the Tardis - I, um just don't know how to land it." They stared at each other a moment, then burst out laughing.

The Doctor paced back and forth, planning a million things at once. He would take her on a tour of Gallifrey and show her everything; he would give her the biggest wedding ever known. He froze — would it be an Earth wedding with flowers and bickering relatives? Oy, he would have to invite Jackie.

Maybe he wouldn't tell Rose they could go between universes now — no, she had seen Donna and the other doctor come back and go through again. Well maybe he could just tell her that mothers weren't allowed at weddings.

The blood rushing through him. He could hear it — he could always hear it, but now, it was almost deafening. Why was that Tardis still floating around up there? He suddenly thought of Jack up there with Rose and his pulse quickened. That ship was coming down — now. He ran to the control room to see what the problem was and bumped into Selene. She seemed to be evaluating him, checking for something.

"I spoke with your brother - no he is your brother, and I think you were a bit harsh with him."

"Forgetting 99 percent of the things he has done to make my life chaotic, he tried to kill Rose. I'm supposed to forget that?"

"Forget, no. Understand, probably. He's been sick for such a long time. You knew this, that is why you could never bring yourself to destroy him. We've brought him back to the age right before he looked into the schism and found the madness. Do you know why that happened to him? Because he had found out that his own father abandoned him for his brighter son - the one he thought would become a legend. Well you did, didn't you - but at what cost? You owe Koschei a bit of compassion. He knows who he was and that is a lot for a little boy to come to terms with. Even if he is actually as old as you are. Just think about it." She touched his arm and smiled. He smiled a little as he thought her words over and hugged her gently.

"I'll think about it. He is rather smart, isn't he?"

"Of course - both of you got your father's brilliance. Let's see what you do with it," she answered as she walked away.

Well, Rose was safe, relatively speaking. Maybe he had a bit of time to go talk to his impulsive brother. He walked down the various hallways until he found the door he was looking for and knocked softly. As he entered, he saw Koschei painting a portrait, looking closely he saw it was of the Doctor, Rose and Koschei. It was artistically perfect and all three looked happy. The boy did not look up as he painted.

"Um, that looks good," the Doctor managed to say as he sat down. He sat down and lapsed into silence again.

The boy still did not look up, but a small smile crept across his face. "I know," he answered. "But it is very polite of you to say so."

The Doctor bit his lip and walked over to his brother. "Selene says you remember your past lives. It's a bit overwhelming for you, hmm?"

"Yes, but Selene has been helping me sort through it. She says that I'm a little like you - stubborn, brilliant, and just a little hard to understand. I guess she meant it as a compliment." He tilted his head and the Doctor realized how much he had missed his friendship with Koschei. Could he be trusted? There was a time the Doctor had been full of rage, had not cared about anything but revenge but he had met Rose and had changed. Maybe this boy just needed a chance - who was he to deny him that.

"Well, brilliant as I may be, I'm not always the nicest man. But I think we could spend some time together soon and - oh I don't know, talk about - whatever. Do you think you might like that?"

At the boy's enthusiastic nod, the Doctor felt a bit lighter than he had in a long time, since Saxon had died in his arms. He stood up. "Well, I have a bride to retrieve, but it's been very nice talking to you - " he thought about it, then seemed to make a decision. "Brother."

As the word came out of his mouth, he and Koschei locked eyes and the boy's eyes lit up with happiness. Yes, the Doctor thought, they could work through this. If he could have new chances with Rose and his brother, what other wonders in the universe could not come to pass?


	8. Chapter 8

Rose walked the hallways of the Tardis and let her memories of each room return. How many years had she tried to get back to him? How many more had she tried to forget him? She went into her old room and tears came to her eyes. It was all the same as she had left it. He hadn't changed it into anything. True, he had a million rooms on the ship, but he was forever converting spare rooms into libraries, or makeshift labs when he needed to study a new form of plant life and was too lazy to walk all the way to his proper laboratory. She loved him and he loved her and they were both destined to be together forever. It seemed so easy when you thought of it like that.

On the other hand, he had left her - twice. He was arrogant, impulsive, and altogether too certain of his own superiority when it came to solving a problem. She thought back to some of their adventures and rolled her eyes. He had never listened to her when they had found themselves in trouble until it was too late and then he had acted as though all of the craziness had been part of the plan from the beginning. It drove her crazy, but it also was one of the reasons she loved him so much. He acted on instinct, and his instincts were always to protect her.

The Tardis had explained to her about Koschei and about what had happened back on Gallifrey once she had jumped back to her own dimension - quite a chatty police box she had laughed to herself. She didn't know how the Doctor was coping with all of this information but she did know he would find a way to get to her soon. That kiss with Jack to get back at the Doctor - so immature, but it had felt so good at the time.

A small shiver ran through her as she remembered the intensity of that stare he had given her, even through a transmitted connection in space, she could feel that stare. He wasn't happy. Somehow that gave her a giddy feeling of anticipation, and she could not wait to see him again. But it was only to make him beg her for forgiveness she reminded herself sternly. None of this running into his arms nonsense like she had tried back on Earth. When she remembered how he had been shot running to her, she swallowed again and took a deep breath. He might live close to forever, but that didn't make him invulnerable. He needed someone to keep an eye on him. Maybe it could really be her this time. She walked toward the control room to ask Martha to land the Tardis.

When she entered the control room Martha and Jack had their backs to her and Jack's arm was casually around Martha's shoulder. They were talking quietly and occasionally Jack would say something that made her laugh. She hated to disturb them but flying in the Tardis without her Doctor didn't feel right. She coughed quickly and they turned to her. Martha actually looked calm and happy for the first time since this whole thing had started.

"Hey, Rose," Jack smiled, "any idea how to land this thing?"

Once radio contact was made with the Doctor, it was really a simple matter of getting the Tardis back on solid ground. The elders sent Reeann back to her universe, to her own Torchwood give a formal report on what really happened to Henry Smithers. It was going to be a long report but Rose cheered her up by reminding her that she had been part of a major astronomical event and her superiors would be pretty happy with that. Besides, Jack had told Reeann, with Henry no longer an issue, maybe she would get a promotion.

Rose, Jack, and Martha were escorted to a debriefing room where they were thanked for their courage and told that a great ball was to be held that evening in their honor. Rose and Martha happily submitted to bubble baths and a stunning choice of ball gowns. Jack managed to get a bubble bath as well but to his chagrin, it was without Martha's company. She did however, promise him the first dance.

That night the Doctor paced nervously, waiting for Rose to arrive at the ball. He had tried to see her numerous times but there were last minute adjustments to be made to the planet's orbit and he was helping as best as he could. Koschei had actually been more help but the Doctor was not one to admit that out loud. He had knocked on her door once to talk with her, then had heard her laughing in there with Jack. If he hadn't been called away that moment by the President needing some assistance, he would have kicked the door down. He almost did anyway.

He thought about sending her a note, but he wasn't sure he knew what to write and he didn't want to think she would rip it up as soon as she got it. No, he would have to talk to her. As he paced, he felt oddly nervous. Was she going to speak to him at all? She had seemed pretty angry the last time they had spoken and that kiss - argh - he would not be reminded about that damned kiss with Harkness.

Jack and Martha were announced first and seemed to be holding hands. Not that the Doctor wanted Jack near Rose, but if Jack was playing the same game with Martha, he would have to be stopped. He walked up to them, and told himself he would be civil. Jack spoke before the Doctor could open his mouth.

"Good evening, Doctor, I see you're here alone. Go figure. Maybe later when I see Rose - " he didn't get to finish as the Doctor punched him in the stomach. It was so sudden that Jack didn't have a chance to block and reeled back from the blow.

"Doctor," Martha snapped, "would you please not punch my date?"

"That's for messing with Rose's head and giving her ideas that she needs to stay away from me." The Doctor glared.

"ME?" Jack yelled,"If Rose is staying away from you it's because she finally wised up to what a selfish jerk you are."

"What were you doing in her room?" the Doctor shot back, raising his fist again.

Martha jumped between them with a glass of water. "Back off, both of you. I'm armed and I will throw this water if provoked further! He wasn't in Rose's room, he was in mine. And if you don't mind, the details shall remain sketchy."

The Doctor scoffed. "Your room - what was he doing in your -" He caught the glance shared between Martha and Jack and one eyebrow shot up. "Oh, no - he seduced you," he said, stricken.

Martha laughed and even Jack looked amused. "Jack - tell the man that you are not trying to steal Rose from him. Doctor, shake hands with Jack and stop glaring like a crazed maniac." The two men looked down at their, feet muttering. Martha cleared her throat. "Now, gentlemen, or I shall have to resort to having you both locked in your rooms like children."

"Do you love her?" Jack asked, never taking his eyes off the Doctor. "I mean, really love her as in you will not leave her to fall apart again."

The Doctor stared back at Jack and held out his hand. "I do, and I won't." Jack shook his hand and Martha looked relieved.

"Won't what?" a curious voice joined them. They all turned to see a vision in yellow silk staring at them.

"Rose," the Doctor whispered and his voice broke slightly. She didn't move, just stood there and watched him as his carefully maintained composure started slipping away.


	9. Chapter 9

The Doctor's breath caught at the sight of his Rose. Her blonde hair was swept up in a way that brought attention to her large brown eyes. Those eyes were staring at him with a look he couldn't identify, and words failed him for what seemed like the first time in any of his lives. Why had he run from this for so long? He needed to tell her exactly how he felt without using a clone to admit it to her. As he moved closer, another voice interrupted his thoughts. His little brother was walking toward them with a timid smile on his face.  
"Rose — please, may I have the first dance with you?" He seemed a little scared but Rose looked at him with an answering smile and held out her hand.  
"Of course, Koschei, that would be lovely." They swirled off and left the Doctor muttering a mulitude of alien curse words.  
Jack tried not to laugh and offered his arm to Martha. "Wanna dance, beautiful?"  
"Hmm, I think I will give the Doctor this one," Martha answered and grabbed the Doctor's hand.  
As they headed out to the dance floor, Jack called out to her. "I thought you promised me the first dance."  
Martha gave Jack a knowing smile as she turned back to him for a moment. "You've already had your first dance," At the Doctor's groan, she giggled and let him lead her around the floor.  
"Martha, are you sure you know what you are doing?" he muttered. "That man is nothing but irresponsible and childish, you've said so yourself a million times. Sometimes I will never understand women."  
"Maybe that is why you are in the situation you are in, good sir," Martha said dryly. "I believe this is one problem your sonic screwdriver won't be able to fix."  
He glanced over at Rose, who looked so radiant as she danced and didn't seem to be in too much of a hurry to come back and reconcile with him. How was he supposed to talk to her if he couldn't get near her? Martha laughed at his discomfort and spun him around a few times. As the music ended, Rose began another dance with Jack. The Doctor bit his lip but did not say anything but only began a second dance with Martha as well.  
"It's not easy when you aren't in full control of your emotions, is it?" Martha was saying."I admit I am rather enjoying watching you get so worked up over something that you haven't already solved in that overactive mind of yours,"she teased.  
He gave her a raised eyebrow and tried to look sternly at her. He only managed to look slightly childish. "I don't remember you being this sarcastic when we travelled together," he complained sullenly.  
"Of course not, you were too busy being brilliant," she countered as they swirled around the floor in time with the music. Martha watched him watch Rose. _Nine hundred years old and finally now he's starting to grow up_, she marvelled to herself.

At the other side of the room, Jack was twirling Rose around, looking quite pleased with himself. He held her just a little closer than usual as he noticed the Doctor's stare. This was fun, he thought, and couldn't hold in a slightly evil laugh.  
"He's watching us," Jack whispered very closely into her ear, "want to give him something to watch?"  
Rose giggled as she gave a quick glance to where the Doctor was dancing with Martha. "I don't think that Martha would appreciate that." Rose answered knowingly.  
"Hmm, true, I have to be a good boy, don't I? Well, it looks like you have made some sort of decision about our Time Lord friend. Are you sure it's the right one? I mean, his hearts may be in the right place, but you could probably do much better if you held out for someone a bit more - demonstrative?"  
Rose's mind seemed to wander a bit. "He can be demonstrative, Jack - I think deep down he's just a lonely man who hasn't had to play well with others much. This can't be too easy on him," she answered.  
"Too easy on him? Leaving you twice? Or not rushing over here to save you from the dark side?" Jack playfully asked.  
She swatted his shoulder and grinned. "Did you two really fight about me at Torchwood? I can't imagine him trying to punch someone." At his guilty look, she answered the question herself, "Ah, so he did say he loved me. I wasn't really sure any of what the Tardis had said was real, you know? It was sweet of you to try to pound him a bit for me."  
"Any time, sweetheart, don't think I won't try it again if he screws this up with you," Jack promised honestly.,  
"Thank you - I think," Rose replied as the music slowly faded once more.

After their dance ended, the Doctor watched as Martha practically ran to Jack's side. Jack swept her up in a well practiced flourish and the two of them started dancing even before the music began again. The Doctor shrugged. Love is not something to be explained, he thought, you just have to know when to accept that it's real. He glanced around for Rose and saw her talking to the President. He tried not to run to her side and casually walked up to the two women.  
"You have been through so much in your short lifetime, Rose. You must be in a hurry to get home to your Earth and regain your former life," the President was saying. He froze, not sure how Rose would answer. He hadn't really thought about what Rose would do now past forgiving him and starting their lifetimes together. She couldn't leave him now. Calm, he reminded himself, you can't just throw her over your shoulder and carry her off like some crazed animal.  
"I'm not exactly certain where my life is, Madame President. My mum and family are still back in the other universe. I can't abandon them, you know. Leaving people behind isn't my style." Rose answered slowly. She saw the Doctor's face fall and felt a moment of satisfaction at that.  
"Oh, I'm sure you won't have to," the President answered, unconcerned. "Travel between universes will be as it was before for Time Lords." At Rose's look of surprise the President smiled. "You'll have to get used to Time Lords recognizing you. It's a sense you will soon experience in yourself, given time."  
Rose smiled. "If you'll excuse me, Madame President, I'd like to get a bit of fresh air." At the President's nod, Rose walked off toward the large glass doors leading to the formal gardens. She fairly raced towards the hedge maze and entered, not really knowing how to find her way out, but knowing she wouldn't have to if he continued to follow her like he had all evening. She heard footsteps behind her and smiled;she loved parties and this one was turning out better than most.  
"Rose, wait up." She frowned. Koschei? Not who she had been expecting. She turned puzzled as the boy caught up with her. He seemed a bit out of breath.  
"I just wanted to talk to you for a moment. I - well, don't know how I'm supposed to be making things up to you. It's not easy for you to forgive me, I know, but I wanted to make sure you didn't hate me."  
Tears welled up in his eyes and Rose softened. She held the little boy close to her and whispered in his hair. "Forgiveness can't be complete until you forgive yourself, sweetie. We're a lot alike, you and me, ya know? Trying so hard to get someone's approval and love that we forget ourselves a bit. You must promise me that you will forgive yourself, that will mean a lot more than anything I could say."  
"I'll try, Rose. I have examples to follow, my brother - and you of course." He blushed a bit at that and she laughed kindly, mussing up his hair.  
A rustle sounded behind them, soft and almost unheard. Koschei smiled to her without turning towards the sound. "Seems a bit too crowded in here for all of us, maybe I should go back to the party. Thank you, Rose." He paused for a moment, then continued, "Sister." He seemed pleased at her expression as he kissed her hand and ran off happily. Rose was suddenly nervous. She didn't really have a plan, she had just thought hiding in the bushes would be fun for a while. Now she would have to talk to him.  
The Doctor emerged from a path to the left and stood there, gazing at her. He was really the most beautiful man she had ever seen. Both of his regenerations that she had seen, actually. She wondered if she would always find him so heart stoppingly handsome.  
"Hello, Rose," he said simply.  
She couldn't move. Were his eyes always this intense? She turned from him a bit to compose herself. "Hello," she answered. "Beautiful party." Argh, how lame, she thought. She was hardly the seductress she had planned to be tonight.  
He smiled at her for a moment and moved in closer. "Yes, Gallifrey has always been known to give a good party. Practically invented them, you know."  
"Rose," he started again. "I get the feeling you've been avoiding me and I can't say that I blame you. Can't say that I can explain it, but I seem to be a loss for words. Me, loss for words - not like me is it? I mean, I always have something to say, even when I don't have anything to say. You look lovely by the way, not that you don't always look - lovely, by the way. I've been meaning to tell you something, something I should have said a long time ago. I mean I did say it - in a way, but the other me said it first - "  
Rose kept silent, waiting. He moved in closer to her and she could feel his breath so close. She moved towards him, not caring about pride or hurt feelings and opened her mouth to speak.  
More rustling noises heading their way, they could hear Martha and Jack giggling, oblvious to anyone but each other. As they entered the clearing where Rose and the Doctor were talking they noticed they were not alone. Martha had the good sense to look embarassed.  
"Hey, Doctor, Rose - funny meeting you two in here," Jack said quickly. "I guess this would be a good time to catch up on old times - "  
At that the Doctor lost it. He quickly glanced at Rose and growled, "Oh, you know I've never been good with apologies," and threw her over his shoulder ignoring her yelp of surprise. "Gotta run, guys, been swell. Have fun without us."  
The Tardis was suspiciously parked right around the next corner of the maze. He clicked his fingers and the door flew open allowing them entry. As he put her down, he raced over the console and started working the controls.  
"Doctor," Rose asked, stunned, "what the hell are you doing?" He spun around towards her and she caught the barely concealed fires in his eyes.  
"Something I should have done ages ago - take you home."


End file.
